Game Blenderhttps://gblender.wordpress.com
Blending game and lifeSun, 18 Feb 2018 06:40:06 +0000enhourly1http://wordpress.com/https://s2.wp.com/i/buttonw-com.pngGame Blenderhttps://gblender.wordpress.com
Pro-crastinate.https://gblender.wordpress.com/2011/10/17/pro-crastinate/
https://gblender.wordpress.com/2011/10/17/pro-crastinate/#respondMon, 17 Oct 2011 08:17:40 +0000http://gblender.wordpress.com/?p=140The weeks have not been pleasant with the recent attending of my social circles with the collaboration of my work. Thus creating a super-duper tight schedule of things being done such as level concepts, character design and items. With the design freeze coming in it’s hard to tell whether or not all of the things intended will really make it through -.-

However I am hopeful that it will all be resolved soon. Now the game has established at 3 levels with each one more complicated than the other, since the basic element of the game is after all a puzzle. There have been considerations in level design as having it too easy or too difficult will make it hard both on the programmer’s end and the design end. But I believe we reached a balance on the puzzle that is being put in each stage. So we’d expect it to be done in due time. Hopefully when the modeling comes around the corner we would be able to create enough objects to fill the space.

As for the late blog post, I have finally gathered enough time to just pull through one.

Good luck to all you other designers out there.

]]>https://gblender.wordpress.com/2011/10/17/pro-crastinate/feed/0jinnousBack on square 1 it seemshttps://gblender.wordpress.com/2011/09/21/back-on-square-1-it-seems/
https://gblender.wordpress.com/2011/09/21/back-on-square-1-it-seems/#respondWed, 21 Sep 2011 23:55:19 +0000http://gblender.wordpress.com/?p=136So after the first week of game dev’ing, our group Got Rice? has established an agreement on the strategy puzzle genre. It was meant to be somewhat of a “set it and forget it” game where the player finds a bunch of tools within a confined space and make traps to defeat enemies that come. Much of the plan came together nicely with the addition of several stage ideas and diagrams.

Much of the game’s interactive options will work like any other first person shooter where the player will have hold of a weapon and uses it to knock and whack his/her way to the next level. With that being said, the game’s target was mainly to be sort of a problem solving with a bit or horror element in it, since after all, the premise of the game was about a guy stuck in a haunted factory. Initially the problem was that we considered all the available ways of clearing the stage but then including them would mean vasts amount of programming and modeling which could be out of our time limit reach. It would even seem more unlikely with our additional courses. So then the idea of having an ALL-interactive stage was scrapped. Now it will only be somewhat interactive with most of the skill element dependent on the player’s skill in placing the traps.

However, some conflict arose and now that we’re left with the situation where 1 of our designers left, and our new designer has taken hold of a new concept. So it seems that we would require some planning and paper scribbling once again to make sure that everything is within doable range. But here’s to hope that we don’t start too late. D:

]]>https://gblender.wordpress.com/2011/09/21/back-on-square-1-it-seems/feed/0jinnousToiletStageRough-1Blog Revivalhttps://gblender.wordpress.com/2011/09/12/blog-revival/
https://gblender.wordpress.com/2011/09/12/blog-revival/#respondMon, 12 Sep 2011 02:53:15 +0000http://gblender.wordpress.com/?p=129Seems like a good time to run the blog again now that I don’t have much to do, but rather than just gaming, I think I will include some of my fictional works in progress and other daily events.
]]>https://gblender.wordpress.com/2011/09/12/blog-revival/feed/0jinnousDesign Entry #3https://gblender.wordpress.com/2011/03/09/design-entry-3/
https://gblender.wordpress.com/2011/03/09/design-entry-3/#respondWed, 09 Mar 2011 19:31:18 +0000http://gblender.wordpress.com/?p=126Working towards the 3rd milestone due for our game project. A good number of our game mechanics have been implemented to the actual game. These include the weapons systems that allows the vehicles to automatically shoot when it is in proximity of other vehicles, and an implementation of the ‘tails’ of the vehicles to simulate the speed.

Several sound effects have been made for the game that includes several collision sounds and menu screen sounds. The game also now has particle effects used for explosions, item effects, and cosmetic purposes.

The main goal now is to really stick all of these elements together, models have been getting worked on and some internal dialogue graphics of the characters are in the works. The main goal right now is to have the shaders and lighting done correctly to really go for what we have promoted in the first place. Lastly we must be sure to push for finishing the main skeleton of the game before the next milestone so that we may consider adding extra features.

]]>https://gblender.wordpress.com/2011/03/09/design-entry-3/feed/0jinnousA cycle of continuous withdrawal and addictionhttps://gblender.wordpress.com/2011/02/20/a-cycle-of-continuous-withdrawal-and-addiction/
https://gblender.wordpress.com/2011/02/20/a-cycle-of-continuous-withdrawal-and-addiction/#respondSun, 20 Feb 2011 02:09:13 +0000http://gblender.wordpress.com/?p=110So there, I’ve finally done it again, another year have gone by and I am thrown back into the well again. What do I mean by that? Well, it really much means that I can only see one part of the world, and think that this is the only world that I will live in and live with. But all the philosophy aside, I am talking about my on and off again relationship with World of Warcraft. After 6 years of this game even I wonder to myself sometimes how I can go back to it, but how can I not when people around me constantly tempt me? When my brother constantly insist that the game is “different”, much like how people say each version of the iPhone is different.

All the login screens of the expansions

Growing up with WoW since my high school days, I’ve always never realized everyone’s motivation in playing it, and after the recent lecture about people the things people do to achieve and obtain a virtual character, it just struck me again.

Character selection screen

I think it really comes down to what are the qualities of a good online RPG, but I think if we are to list all of them we can go all day. Because let’s be honest, one can only fit so many things into a game, and the reason behind the successes of many games are hugely due to their execution and their appeal to the need of modern gamers. On the topic of WoW, their execution methods are practically ever-changing, so much to the point that it doesn’t even feel like I am playing the same game I did a year ago anymore. Quest interactions, quirky references to movies and other games make the game stand amongst so many other old-school RPG’s out there. Such techniques really separate you from being you and REALLY into someone else at times. Because honestly, who would want to level a character from 1-85 being the same person? I mean sure you get stronger, but at the end of it all you are just…you. But what makes it different in WoW is that while you are forced to follow that law, it attempts to throw you into the role of an actual hero of a nation, an actual achiever of the race, and not just a high-leveled fighter in the community.

Players waiting for a once only world event - opening of the gate to a new raid dungeon

I think on that fact alone, it is how the game still gets users to pay 15 dollars a month, and certainly, it is worth every penny to the people who appreciates it. Comparing to the initial beta and “vanilla” versions of the game, that 15 dollars would only grow in value. Sure there are expansions you have to buy to keep up with the content, but if you are to spend so and so amount of money every year on games that run the same way every time you turn it on, why not take a leap of faith and see where 15 dollars a month can take you?

I guess despite all that, it may seem unfair that I don’t even talk about what the game has to offer, and to be quite honest, I myself am not sure how much more the game has to offer. You want dungeons? You have them. You want shiny armor and weapons? You certainly have over 10 million of them. You want to adventure? You can do so with up to 40 or so friends. Or maybe you just want to run around town, dance around and party? You can too with all the right clothing. The point is, it is unfair to brand a game to be not fun or not entertaining based on whether certain things YOU like exist in it or not, it really is how many people it appeals to with the amount of things it has. Certainly if something about it captures the audience, that in itself is a fun factor of its own. Now am I saying that there are no flaws in games then? Certainly not, WoW definitely has its flaws, but then again flaws are all subjective to each person like how qualities are subjective to each person.

But all of this comes back to why I am even talking about this game…the technicalities behind it or whatnot. Then at this point, you can already conclude that the game REALLY is essentially just a click, auto-attack till death type of RPG. But really, you can only do so much with a mouse and a keyboard. As for things that make it stand out amongst other games in terms of gameplay and controls is that you are never really done the game. What I mean is that the game does not END at the game but goes on in other mediums, for they be other games, books, movies, shows, or comics. It even goes to the point that “playing WoW” is no longer playing a game, but its…a way of life…a feeling.

So there’s my rant and thoughts on WoW…do I actually like the game? Not really. But can i quit playing it? Definitely not.

]]>https://gblender.wordpress.com/2011/02/20/a-cycle-of-continuous-withdrawal-and-addiction/feed/0jinnousXoriginal-wow-login-screencharacterss177444241_61e093afe8_oDesign entry #2https://gblender.wordpress.com/2011/02/20/design-entry-2/
https://gblender.wordpress.com/2011/02/20/design-entry-2/#respondSun, 20 Feb 2011 00:54:20 +0000http://gblender.wordpress.com/?p=106After the recent meeting with the group at the workshop, we were able to flesh out the basic designs of the vehicles and cars used for the actual game. Moreover from the programming side, Patrick and Winson seemed to have accomplished quite a bit as well with the completion of the basic physics and the particle systems. The basic system also includes the car’s hit points and speed. Now my part is to really define the textures of each car and level as we plan to use several particle effects for the lighting to suit the theme of the game. Also we will be hoping to implement suitable sound and music to fit the game.

I think there’s also a need for us to integrate all of this information into our game doc that all of us seem to be neglecting in a way. At the moment it does seem possible to put it together in time, but there’s always room for more implementations. If the time allows we can add more lighting effects that we plan on using in the first place to enhance the graphics a bit more, but for now I think our main focus is still putting everything together.

As for the GUI, a recent rendition of our game title has been complete by our graphics person Tuo, and personally I found it to be very nice and fitting, hope that inspiration for the perfect GUI screen comes any time soon…Because I desperately need some input on that matter.

]]>https://gblender.wordpress.com/2011/02/20/design-entry-2/feed/0jinnousDesign Entry #1https://gblender.wordpress.com/2011/02/01/design-entry-1/
https://gblender.wordpress.com/2011/02/01/design-entry-1/#respondTue, 01 Feb 2011 05:36:16 +0000http://gblender.wordpress.com/?p=104I think I was rather late on my mark to start a design entry after 2-3 weeks in. But rather than saying that there is much to work on, it’s more of a matter of what direction everything goes at this point. Since members from my previous team dropped out due to unforeseen circumstances, we merged with another team in order to fill our remaining position. Even now then with a group of 7 members our workload seemed to have reduced for certain aspects of the game, but it doesn’t seem like we get much slack because our merge meant that we have to put together a new game.

Although that sounds like a lot to do, it’s not entirely so when all the physics are intact from our previous games, and I think for the most part it’s just the redesigning to fit the new game theme and the new concepts for the GDW requirements. It’s not so much that I hate to do this but I guess thinking of a vehicle for a game that involves ‘speeding through a data highway’ isn’t my forte at the moment.

However, we do have the game’s basic look and premise in mind, and with me tasked with part of the graphics I think my main goal right now is to figure out the models and textures out, so more and more concepts it is.

]]>https://gblender.wordpress.com/2011/02/01/design-entry-1/feed/0jinnousHumans, Monsters and Fireworkshttps://gblender.wordpress.com/2011/02/01/humans-monsters-and-fireworks/
https://gblender.wordpress.com/2011/02/01/humans-monsters-and-fireworks/#respondTue, 01 Feb 2011 04:00:09 +0000http://gblender.wordpress.com/?p=76Out of the ‘not-so-intense’ gaming that I’ve done in the past, I don’t remember myself ever liking a game that I cannot beat, for not being able to beat it kind of defeats the purpose of ever playing a game extensively, and of course, practice comes along and even that only takes you so far. Thus I believed there must always be something else in a game that leaves an impression on you even if you can’t get past the first screen. For that matter, I would like to share my thoughts on a series of games where those other elements that stuck even when I could not beat the game itself: the Touhou Project games.

Cover-art of the 8th installment: Imperishable Night

Touhou Project was a series of games released for the NEC PC-9801 and Windows by the 1-man team Team Shanghai Alice. They are initially created as dojin soft which are essentially just games made for fun and enjoyment rather than for profit, it does count as an Indy game in a sense, but only the design team of said games involves much less people and funding than indy game companies. The game is entirely designed by 1 person only, and he takes care of every single aspect of the games he produced. Onto the actual game itself, it is pretty much your everyday top-down shoot ’em ups similar to titles like 1942 and Raiden. However, the exceptions are that no airplanes are involved, and there are more bullets on screen than you can imagine. The main characters you control in the game are actual flying humans that possess different types of abilities. Although such abilities are not implemented as an actual game mechanic, it gives the characters more depth compared to just an ordinary airplane. Also since they’re humans, they are also subjected to human emotions and interactions with other characters in the game, where some are villains and some are comrades.

A Dialogue Scene

The games themselves feature a standard shoot ’em up moveset of D-pad control on the keyboard, with Z as shoot, X as bombs, and a SHIFT key ‘flight-mode’ that allows the players to see the hitbox of the character. You may see it as boring and not cutting edge, but when actually playing, you would wish for it to be simple and easy. The objective of the games aren’t entirely difficult to figure out as you are more than likely forced to go all the way to the end of a stage. In terms of rules there aren’t many, for the only rule in the game is essentially just shooting everything that comes in your general direction. Sure there are things you can limit yourself from doing to achieve a higher score, but for the most part, you are only tasked with separating your character from a rainstorm of projectiles and destroying the things that produce them.

Hakurei Reimu, one of the main characters of the series

As mentioned above, the game features humans as actual controllable players with unique bullet styles, however, these attributes change from game to game for the same character and almost never remain the same. As such, old attributes such as movement speed and power are neglected in the more recent games. Moreover, the ‘creeps’ and more prominently, bosses you encounter each possesses a wide array of extremely bizarre and intricate bullet patterns that more than often mesmerizes you.

Kirisame Marisa, another main character in the series, good friend of Reimu

Also mentioned above, the elements of the games that left a lasting impression on me were the story and characters. Touhou Project features too many characters to count each with their respective back story and personalities, although many of these personalities are not explicitly stated and are branded to them through the in-game dialogues, each characters are more fleshed out than the average space ship and battle tank in your average shoot ’em up games. Also, each installment of the games are sequential thus boss characters return a game after as playable characters or important characters in the plot. It’s as though through progression in each game, you as the main character encounters more and more friends (although they are not real for the most part). The story, often not associated with shoot ’em ups, usually talks about the strange ambitions of creatures such as vampires, ghosts, and other mythical Japanese monsters. The story’s outcome can also be dictated by whether or not you played the game well enough.

On top of that, the game is accompanied by an unusual use of bright colors and bullet shapes that look more like fireworks than an attack. Music for the most part can go from piano arranges to something like electric trance to something out of an orchestra. When put together, all of these elements sort of immerse the player into something like a strange case of acid trip that’s hard to explain and hard to comprehend. Not that it’s an unpleasant type of acid trip, but it really serves as something that can be a jaw-dropping experience. Although the game originally served only as a non-profit project, but the obscure plot lines and diverse characters bred a following of fans, to the point now where annual large scale conventions in Japan are dedicated to the entirety of the series, and merchandising of the game exists worldwide in the forms of comics, figurines, artworks, music CD’s and animations.

Overall, I do think the gameplay alone can be overly challenging and unforgiving, and sure the graphics are not top notch because of man power and platform issues, but somehow, everything else that came with it complimented it in such a way that it became good as a whole. Perhaps it’s the story, or the music, or the fact that all the characters are girls, or maybe just the fact that you can show off to your friends how you dodge those curtain of bullets.

]]>https://gblender.wordpress.com/2011/02/01/humans-monsters-and-fireworks/feed/0jinnous256px-Th08covertouhou12-englishpatchReimuUFOMarisaUFOth003Some FPS revisithttps://gblender.wordpress.com/2011/01/24/some-fps-revisit/
https://gblender.wordpress.com/2011/01/24/some-fps-revisit/#respondMon, 24 Jan 2011 18:27:35 +0000http://gblender.wordpress.com/?p=73Lately I’ve been feeling a little FPS again in my games, so I decided to play Day of Defeat, a Half-Life mod that I used to play extensively. It’s one of the more popular Half-Life mods out there along with Team Fortress and Counter-Strike. The game itself is pretty much a WWII based FPS that includes all the major firearms used at the time. The game itself mostly features a capture-the-flag objective or destroy the target objective in order for one side to win.

In essence, the game is near identical with Counter-Strike. But a thing or two that stuck out about this game for me is that you die VERY easily. Normally that would be a bad thing, but it also means that others die very easily as well, so naturally, the difficulty of killing an enemy is not as high as other FPS such as Counter-Strike or even modern titles like Call of Duty. As such, I usually find myself spending more time enjoying the true nature of an FPS rather than frustrating over the usual death streak that I have in other games.

In comparison to the source version of the game, I never really liked any of the source games that came out, specifically speaking it’s the loss of the authentic “block” feel that really turned me away from it. But to be fair a remake without better graphics would just be plain stupid. There’s also the factor of your ‘feel’ of the game, where you just can’t seem to leave behind your bad habits from the old games and when the new game comes, you’re like a clown just recycling the same old tricks but it just doesn’t seem to work with everyone. I’d take the time to learn it, but I suppose I am just too lazy to.

In all honesty, I love the game and I still love it now even without all the tanks and fighter jets. If you do happen to have some loose paper in your wallet, definitely buy it and try it…although I doubt there are very few good servers leftover after Day of Defeat: Source came out.

]]>https://gblender.wordpress.com/2011/01/24/some-fps-revisit/feed/0jinnousA Good Forecasthttps://gblender.wordpress.com/2011/01/19/a-good-forecast/
https://gblender.wordpress.com/2011/01/19/a-good-forecast/#respondWed, 19 Jan 2011 05:42:42 +0000http://gblender.wordpress.com/?p=61During a random surfing session on Youtube a year back I remembered seeing a bunch of trailers for a ‘game’ titled Heavy Rain. Curiously, I did some personal research and came around to knowing that the ‘game’ was a murder mystery. Now I didn’t know what to expect of the actual thing as most videos on Youtube only showed what seemed to be cut scenes from the game, but it wasn’t until I played it did I know that was actually how the game is played.

Covert art of the European release

Heavy Rain featured a unique type of gameplay that’s different from the conventional move and select, it’s a game entirely based on the use of interactive inputs, which pretty much means pressing buttons at the right time in the right fashion. It may sound easy to some, but once you get down to playing it, it really is no walk in the park. I initially set the game on hard thinking that a few buttons and a few flicks on the joystick cannot possibly be hard, but midway through the game it got so difficult that I was forced to settle the controller on a table to press all of these buttons correctly. The main reason it may even seem difficult is because the game pushes you to make split second decisions, and really puts your reaction to the test. It’s really a matter of whether or not you can react in time and do the right thing, and personally I think that simulates reality in some way. Aside from the general gameplay, the game’s flow is also based on these interactions that you encounter during the game, where different decisions you take in certain points of the game will affect the final outcome or ending. As the 4 characters of the game, you are really free to do whatever you want, including whether or not you let your character die.

A typical decision scene, prompting an input

The game heavily emphasizes on mood and story more than anything else. It really settles in on my mind how gloomy the game was during my playthrough as it was literally raining everyday throughout the game. But then again, I’d find it weird that they call it Heavy Rain when it doesn’t rain. The settings are mostly dark and gritty in places like abandoned factories and low-income suburbs. The music also gives a melodramatic tone to the overall experience but at most times it’s either silent or covered by dialogue in game.

What really did it for me was the story, which really covered all the flaws the game had. I was literally entranced by the mystery and the reality of the plot line, although it’s kind of hard to get into during the first hour, but once you get hooked onto it, it grips you like some sort of spell that enables you to ignore everything that matters in a game. The reality was also a point that I find essential in a game, or at least in a game that involves putting yourself in someone’s shoes. I think without the freedom to make whatever decisions you want, the game would just be another linear plotted flop.

The 4 playable characters: Norman, Madison, Ethan and Scott

Ultimately, for a game that did not involve leveling, killing, and upgrading, it was 4 hours well spent. I would even consider playing it again just to see how the game would have ended differently, but I think the feeling of anticipation or suspense would be absent. Since I do think this game more or less reflects how effective the little things we do in life are, and that we could only go with it once and live with it.